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US 7,351,085 B2Granted
Joint member and joint connector for wire harness
AssigneesAutonetworks Technologies, Ltd., Sumitomo Wiring Systems, Ltd., Sumitomo Electric Industries, Ltd.
InventorsTatsuo Tamagawa, Hiroki Hirai, Yuuji Saka, Akinori Oishi, Mitsuhiro Hattori, Eiji Kojima
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A flexible wiring member, which is capable of being wound around a wire harness, is provided with joint-side terminals 14a, which are capable of being fitted with wire-side terminals, and the flexible wiring member includes a connection circuit for electrically connecting specified joint-side terminals in the joint-side terminals 14a. Or, a plurality of joint-side terminals are previously held in the insulation housing, and these joint-side terminals are connected with a common flexible wiring member.
Claims19
A joint connector comprising:
- a joint member for electrically connecting a plurality of wires included in a wire harness to each other;
- a plurality of wire-side terminals;
- a plurality of wire-side insulation housings for holding the wire-side terminals;
- and
- joint-side insulation housings each fitted with each of the wire-side insulation housings,
- wherein the joint member includes:
- a flexible wiring member extending in one direction and having a flexibility so as to allow winding around the wire harness with a longitudinal direction of the flexible wiring member oriented in a peripheral direction of the wire harness or in a direction inclined with respect to the peripheral direction;
- joint-side terminals provided in a plurality of positions aligned in the longitudinal direction of the flexible wiring member and protruding outward from an edge portion extending in the longitudinal direction of the flexible wiring member to be connected to each of the wires;
- and
- a connection circuit provided in the flexible wiring member and electrically connects specific joint-side terminals of the joint-side terminals with one another, and
- wherein the wire-side terminals are fixed to terminals of specified wires in the wires included in the wire harness and capable of being fitted with each joint-side terminal included in the joint member,
- each of the wire-side terminals is fitted with a joint-side terminal of the joint member to be electrically connected to each other,
- in a state where the wire-side terminals held by the wire-side insulation housings and the joint-side terminals are fitted with each other, the flexible wiring member is provided to be flexible within the positions between the wire-side insulation housings, and
- the joint-side terminal is held in each of the joint-side insulation housings, the joint-side terminal being fitted with a wire-side terminal held by wire-side insulation housing fitted with the joint-side insulation housing.
11 more elements
A joint connector for electrically connecting a plurality of wires included in a wire harness to each other, the joint connector comprising:
- a flexible wiring member, which extends in one direction and has flexibility allowing to be wound around the wire harness with the longitudinal direction thereof oriented in a peripheral direction of the wire harness;
- a plurality of wire-side insulation housings for holding wire-side terminals fixed to each of the wire terminals;
- joint-side insulation housings capable of being connected to each of the wire-side insulation housings;
- and
- joint-side terminals held by each of the joint-side insulation housings, and fitted with the wire-side terminals held by the wire-side insulation housing in a state where the joint-side insulation housings are connected with the wire-side insulation housings, the joint-side terminals having a wiring member connecting portion provided at an end portion opposite an end portion of the wire-side terminals fitted therewith, and capable of being connected with the flexible wiring member,
- wherein the joint-side insulation housings hold the joint-side terminals in a state where wiring member connecting portions of each of the joint-side terminals are provided so as to allow the electrical connection of the flexible wiring member to the wiring member connecting portion, the flexible wiring member including a connection circuit for electrically connecting to specified wiring member connecting portions in the wiring member connecting portions to be connected to the flexible wiring member.
3 more elements
A wire harness comprising a joint connector to electrically connect specified wires to each other, the joint connector including:
- flexible wiring member, which extends in one direction and has flexibility allowing to be wound around the wire harness with the longitudinal direction thereof oriented in a peripheral direction of the wire harness;
- a plurality of wire-side insulation housings for holding wire-side terminals fixed to each of the wire terminals;
- joint-side insulation housings capable of being connected to each of the wire-side insulation housings;
- and
- joint-side terminals held by each of the joint-side insulation housings, and fitted with the wire-side terminals held by the wire-side insulation housing in a state where the joint-side insulation housings are connected with the wire-side insulation housings, the joint-side terminals having a wiring member connecting portion provided at an end portion opposite an end portion of the wire-side terminals fitted therewith, and capable of being connected with the flexible wiring member,
- wherein the joint-side insulation housings hold the joint-side terminals in a state where wiring member connecting portions of each of the joint-side terminals are provided so as to allow the electrical connection of the flexible wiring member to the wiring member connecting portion, the flexible wiring member including a connection circuit for electrically connecting to specified wiring member connecting portions in the wiring member connecting portions to be connected to the flexible wiring member,
- wherein the wiring member-connecting portion of the joint-side terminal held by each of the joint-side insulation housing, is connected to a common flexible wiring member,
- wherein specified wiring member connecting portions in the wiring member connecting portions are electrically connected to each other via the flexible wiring member,
- wherein each of the wire-side terminals is fitted with a joint-side terminal of the joint member to be electrically connected to each other, and
- wherein the flexible wiring member of the joint member is wound around a main body portion of the wire harness and fixed thereto in a state where each of the wire-side terminals are fixed to the terminals of specified wires and the wire-side terminal, each of the joint-side terminals of the joint member being fitted with other.
7 more elements
A wire harness comprising a joint connector to electrically connect specified wires to each other, the joint connector including:
- a flexible wiring member, which extends in one direction and has flexibility allowing to be wound around the wire harness with the longitudinal direction thereof oriented in a peripheral direction of the wire harness;
- a plurality of wire-side insulation housings for holding wire-side terminals fixed to each of the wire terminals;
- joint-side insulation housings capable of being connected to each of the wire-side insulation housings;
- and
- joint-side terminals held by each of the joint-side insulation housings, and fitted with the wire-side terminals held by the wire-side insulation housing in a state where the joint-side insulation housings are connected with the wire-side insulation housings, the joint-side terminals having a wiring member connecting portion provided at an end portion opposite the end portion fitted therewith, and capable of being connected with the flexible wiring member,
- wherein the joint-side insulation housings hold the joint-side terminals in a state where wiring member connecting portions of each of the joint-side terminals are provided so as to allow the electrical connection of the flexible wiring member to the wiring member connecting portion, the flexible wiring member including a connection circuit for electrically connecting to specified wiring member connecting portions in the wiring member connecting portions to be connected to the flexible wiring member,
- wherein the flexible wiring member is formed in a stair-like shape so that the position of the each joint-side insulation housing shifts in a stair-like shape in the direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction of the flexible wiring member,
- wherein each of the wire-side terminal is fixed to terminals of the specified wires,
- wherein the wire-side terminals are held by the wire-side insulation housing, and
- wherein the flexible wiring member of the joint member is wound around a main body portion of the wire harness in a spiral configuration and fixed thereto in a state where the wire-side insulation housing and each of the joint-side insulation housing are fitted with each other.
7 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.